Slip supporting device



Oct. 8; 1940. J. p. NIXON SLIP SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jeda'y D. N [xon Oct. 8, 1940.

J. D. NIXON SLIP SUPPORTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 daddy D. Nixon Patented Oct. 8, 1940 2,217,072 I SLIP SUPPORTING DEVICE Jeddy D. Nixon, Houston, Tex., assignor 0! one-- half to Wilson Supply Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application September 17, 1937,Serial No. 164,329,

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-250) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in slip supporting devices.

One of the main disadvantages with the ordinary slip supports, now in common use, is that they are not balanced. This is due to the fact that the handle membersv or sections cannot be opened to the same degree and, thereby become unbalanced on one side, which causes them to topple over or upset when resting upon the bushing or bowl. Frequently, the handgrip is made integral with-one of the sections and offset with relation to the handles which .swingthe sections. Obviously, such arrangement would unbalance the device when the sections are swung v apart.

' One object of the invention is to provide an of pivoted and so connected as to swing simultaneously, each to the same degree when the sections are opened, whereby the support is balanced and will not be easily upset-0r topple over when resting upon the slip bowl or bushing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slip support having a handg-rip to which the sections are pivoted, whereby said sections swing independently of the hand grip, thus permitting the latter to remain stationary and to maintain its balance with respect'to the device.

A further object of the invention'is to provide a slip support having a hand grip remaining stationary when the sections of said support are swung and which is readily available, so that when needed a workman may quickly grasp the same, whereby his work is made safer and easier.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a slip support having an automatic latch,

so that when the sections are swung together,

the latch will fasten and lock said sections to gether, whereby should the string of pipe bounce or move upwardly, which ordinarily would release the slips, said sections will hold said slips in engagement with said pipe and prevent the dropping of said pipe and damage to the same. A further object of the invention is to provide a slip support having an automaticlatch so arranged that upon the handles being gripped by an operator to swing the sections apart, said latch is engaged by the operators thumb to release said latch, whereby said sections may be readily swung apart and the slips removed from said pipe. '11 construction designed to carry out the in- .vention be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention; will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the'accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein: v

Figure 1 is a plan view of a slip supporting device constructed in accordance with the invention, and shown in its closed position;

Figure 2 is a bottom view looking at the oppo-' site side of the slip support from Figure 1 and showing the support in an open position;

Figure 3 is an isometrical view of the slip support. in an open position and resting upon the upper surface of a slip bowl and also showing slips fastened within the support;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the sections of the support; and

Figure 5 is a View of the latch partly in section and partly in elevation. 4

In the drawings the numeral ill designates one section or arm of the slip supporting device and II designates the other arm. It will be seen in Figures 1, 2, and 3 that the arms i0 and II each have one end pivoted to a flat bar or yoke i2 by pivot pins l3. For the sake of clarity. the pivoted ends of the arms will be hereinafter referred to as the inner end. The fiat bar I2 is provided with a suitable hand hold or grip H.

The pivoted ends of the arms Ill and H are rounded and are provided with intermeshing gear teeth l5, whereby the arms move in unison. It is pointed out that by individually pivoting the arms l0 and ii to the fiat bar l2 and providing the engaging teeth IS, the swinging of the arms is simultaneous and each moves equidistant from the center longitudinal axis of the handle l4, As the arms are swung, the flat bar l2 and handle I4 remain in substantially the same position, no matter to what extent said arms are swung.

The opposite or outer ends of the arms l0 and II are formed with oflset, longitudinally projecting hand bars or grip l6 having knobs I! made integral therewith, which knobs prevent an op-' erator's hand from slipping off of the bars 16 when swinging the arms. The section Hlis provided with a dowel'pin I8 coacting with a recess or opening IS in the section II, so as to facilitate thealigning of the sections, in order that they may be readily latched together. The section l0 also has a boss or ear 20 on which is hinged a swinging latch member 2| having a thumb piece 22 thereon extending contiguous to the bar 16.-

The latch 2i may be readily swung by the operator grasping the knobs I! or bars l6 and exert v ing pressure on the thumb piece 22, whereby the latch member is swung. Said member 2| is formed with an integral bill 23 adapted to engage a keeper 24, shown as a notch but may be any suitable shape desired, on the section I I, whereby the arms are locked together. Disengagement of the bill from the keeper, unlatches the sections or arms to permit them to be swung apart.

Each section III and H is provided intermediate its ends with an arcuate portion 25 which is formed internally with an arcuate rib 26, so that when the sections are placed around the usual slip, segments 21, the rib 26 will be received by an annular circumferential groove .28 provided in the upper end of the slips. The arcuate portion 25 of each section III and H and the rib 26. are drilled or formed with radial'openings 29, one for each slip segment, and a suitable bolt 30 may be inserted through each opening 29 and threaded through an externally screw threaded opening (not shown) in the periphery of each slip segment 21. The bolt openings 29 are preferably made a little larger than the bolts 30 to be inserted therethrough, in order to permit a small amount of movement of said bolts in said openings. It will be seen that these bolts will draw the slips'onto the rib 26 and it is the usual practice that the slips are not drawn tight, but a very small space or an amount of play is left between the slips and the ribs, whereby a certain degree of movement of the slip segments is obtained. ,The reason for the openings 29 being larger than the bolts 30 and a small amount of play left between the 'ribs 26 and slips 21, is so that the slip segments may center themselves in the bowl and conform to the inclination thereof and grip the pipe, as well as to straighten out before being placed, upon the slip bowl, for supporting the assembly.

In operation, any suitable type of tubing slip bowl 3| is mounted upon a regular casing head 32 on the upper end of the usual casing 33. As will be seen in Figure 3, the slip segments 21 mounted on each arm in and H of. the slip supporting device, by means of the ribs 26 engaging within the annular groove 28 on'the upper end. of the segments 21, and the bolts 39 extending through the bolt holes 29 which bolts fasten the slip segments to the slip support.

In making up a string of tubing (not shown), the slips 21 are engaged around the upper end of a string of tubing suspended through the tubing slip bowl 3|; and the tubing and slips are lowered so that the slips will fit into the bowl and grip the pipe, asis the usual practice. An additional joint or section of tubing may then be screwed onto the upperv end of the string of tubing, and then said string is lifted, whereby the slips and slip support are carried upwardly- When the slips have moved sufficiently above the bowl 3i, a workman may open the same by swinging them apart and placing them upon the upper face of the bowl 3|. The tubing string may then be lowered and the making up of said string continued.

With the slip assembly resting upon the bowl,

as shown inFigure 3, it will be seen that said assembly is in a very convenient position so as to be readily applied at any time to the tubing string. When it is desired to again use the slip assembly, a workman grasps the handles i6 and knobs l1 and if desired, a second workman may grasp the hand hold l4, and the slip support and slips thereon are closed around the tubing and the swinging latch 2| engaged to hold them in that position. The tubing string may now be lowered until the slips seat within the bowl and the tubing string is again securely gripped by the slip segments preventing a further downward movement of said string.

In unlatching the arms of the slip support prior to swinging them apart, the operator or workman grasps the handles l6 and knobs i1 and in doing so places his thumb upon the thumb piece 22 of the latch member 2 I, which moves said latch and lifts the bill 23 out of engagement with the keeper 24. The arms are now ready to be swung apart when desired, and as the arms are swung, the meshing of the gear teeth l5 causes said arms to move simultaneously, so that each moves to a point equidistant from the central axis of the handle 14. The fiat bar l2 and handle l4 remain in substantially the same position, whereby it will be seen that swinging the arms apart will not affect the balance of the slip support. Attention is called to the fact that the slip support balances on the lower edge of the slip segments in any position from an opened position to a completely closed one, and is pointed out that the handle I4 is always in position so as to be readily available when needed. In Figure'3, it will be seen that a workman may quickly grasp the handle l4 due to the fact that the handle remains substantially stationary and his work is made safer and easier with the resultant speeding up thereof.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a slip assembly, the combination of a pair of elongate members, a hand element for manually supporting one end of the assembly and to which the ends of said members are pivoted in common, cooperating means on the pivoted ends of said members for swinging said members in unison, whereby said members are balanced with respect to said hand element when said members are swimg apart, and slips carried by and depending from said members.

2. In a slip assembly, the combination of a pair of eh'm'gate members, a hand element for manually supporting one end of the assembly and to which the ends of said members are pivoted in common, cooperating means on the pivoted ends of said members for swinging said members in unison, whereby said members are balanced with respect to said hand element when saidmembers are swung apart, thumb operable means for fastening said me bers together, and slips carried by and depend g from said members.

3. In a slip. assembly, the combination of a pair of'elongate members, a hand element for manually supporting one end of the assembly and to which the ends of said members are pivoted in common, cooperating means on the pivoted ends of said members for swinging said members in unison, whereby said members are balanced with respect to said hand element when said members are swung apart, a swinging latch on one member adjacent the handle thereof for engaging the swinging end of the other member and fastening said members together, a thumb piece on said latch adjacent said handle whereby said thumb 'piece may be readily engaged whenever said handles are gripped to swing said members, and slips carried by and depending from said members.

, JEDDY D. NIXON. 

